Wing Muscle Atrophy

[Fae]

I'm pretty sure at this stage that my poor old rescue bird is suffering from some pretty bad wing muscle atrophy but I'm unsure how to help remedy this issue. He was in a 2' x 2' x 5' cage for many many years and only given a single rope perch in the very middle to sit on.

I need some advice on getting this guy back in shape. =( He's not very "tame" currently, so we're a bit weary of out of cage time just yet (he's much friendlier to us than he was his previous owner though... that was scary to see)

He's more than happy to walk around his now 3' x 3' x 6' octagon cage but he never tries to open his wings unless it's a tiny amount to rebalance himself. I've been calling him my hunchback of notre dame because of it. We had him in for a wellness check within days of bringing him home and the vet didn't notice anything wrong but she mentioned he's quite underweight and bony. With the conditions he was in before we rescued him he was barely fed and never cleaned up after so we're working on slowly getting his weight back up and I've been trying to encourage him to open his wings but he never wants to. He's more than content to climb his way around the bars and perches.

 

[henpecked]

I "practice" flying on the bed. They can't crash too bad. If he hasn't been flying then it will tire him out very quickly. Keep it short and look for a safe /easy landing.

 

[Sammy01]

This will take time. I know from experience. The amazon I'm caring for was in a worst state, she couldn't even hold food with her foot.

First of all try giving him natural branches. It will really help with their feet. I found after a couple of days she began to stop lifting her feet so much.

I let her stay on her seed diet in the beginning. I always find it helpful to let birds stay with the diet their use to in the beginning. I switch it only after they're not as scared.

If they didn't have toys in the beginning, don't overwhelm them. Slowly introduce them to it. I started by giving her one toy. In the beginning she was too scared to even get near it.

As for flying. I didn't push the issue. She couldn't even climb properly and her health was very frail. Once she was able to climb well I let her get use to the area and now she's attempting to fly all on her own.

I had a pigeon who refused to fly, even when I tried flapping my arms around. She'd just look at me like I was stupid. She eventually decided to try it (a year or so later) when she saw other pigeons flying around. I got my budgie to try it by putting movies of birds flying. Maybe your buddy would show interest if they saw birds flying?

 

[Betrisher]

When I took on the care of our Dominic, the most outstanding impression he gave was that he was no longer a bird but more a sad victim of neglect. He had lost all his birdness through not being able to fly or socialise or forage or play. It has taken these past six months to even get him to call out occasionally! The best tool I've had has been the Beaks living next door to Dom. He copies what they do and has begun 'talking' to them when he thinks no one is listening.

When you take a bird out of neglectful situations, you really do have to teach them to be a bird again. That means learning to play again, learning to forage for food, learning to preen (or stop preening), and learning to socialise. Each step takes time and can't be rushed: all you do is frighten the bird and make things even more scary to him than they are.

Since Dom couldn't fly, I used to leave his cage door open so that he could clamber out and up to the top if he wanted. Later, I would put a pole bridging the distance between his cage and the table so he could sidle across to play with interesting toys. He would watch the Beaks at play and eventually came out on his own to investigate. Funnily, he was most interested in ripping paper at first, but now he just *loves* upending the beads box and scattering beads and large buttons all over the floor. I need the exercise, I guess, so it works for me too...

Dom has formed a close relationship with my husband but not with me (he bites me). This has been Key! Through playing with Kim and being willing to be picked up, Dom has begun to trust people again. I've got to the point where I can put him in and out of his cage now. Usually he doesn't bite me, but I still get the occasional chomp.

Unfortunately, the thing that prompted Dom to fly was fear. The Beaks learned that swooping low overhead caused him to raise his crest and squawk for dear life! Once, they swooped a bit too low and Dom flew! He flies every time he leaves his cage now: only short flights, but each time he gains height and distance. We've tried getting him to flap over the bed, but he only gets unbalanced and very upset. (Dommie has large fatty tumours that upset his centre of gravity rather badly).

At this stage (just over six months), I doubt Dom will ever fly properly as his muscles have been wasted for more than half his life. Still, the fact that he's willing to try and does so each day gives me hope that he feels more and more like a bird. When he arrived, he was silent and sullen and angry and clearly disordered. Now, he appears merry and inquisitive and even cuddly when he's with the men in the family. I think every aspect of birdness we can give back to these sad cases is a plus. We may not be able to give it all back, but it helps a lot when you finally see your bird clearly enjoying himself and doing what others of his species do!

In a nutshell, I'd say if he flies, he flies. If not, give him lots of opportunities to gad about and rummage in things. (I have a hanging basket filled with shredded paper and hidden treats: the birds love delving in there for goodies). Best of luck and please keep us updated with your progress.

 

[irowiki]

We tried getting him out of the cage last night and he wouldn't go. I'm not so much concerned about him flying as I am just getting his wings stretched out and strong again!


He doesn't show much interest in toys, but I did catch him sneaking some time in at a new toy this morning before I left to work.

He's still pretty snappy towards me, even as I walk by sometimes!

 

[MonicaMc]

If he was comfortable with being touched, I would recommend wing "exercises"... in other words, therapy for the wings. Slowly stretching, relaxing, stretching and moving, relaxing, etc.

 

[Featheredsamurai]

If he was comfortable with being touched, I would recommend wing "exercises"... in other words, therapy for the wings. Slowly stretching, relaxing, stretching and moving, relaxing, etc.

I agree with Monica, therapy can work very well to get those muscles healthy again. when I adopted Rosie she had extremely weak legs. She couldn't hold things with her feet, and she walked very slowly, stiffly and often fell over. It took around 5 months of leg therapy for her to hold something with her foot for the first time, and a few more months for me to be able to walk around with her not using her beak to hold my shirt to keep steady.

Make sure to not over stretch the wing, and take it slow at first. It's best to talk to a vet first so they can tell you the best methods for wing therapy, and what would work best for your bird's situation.

 

[irowiki]

He's not comfortable with being touched, or hands near him in anyway whatsoever! If you're not careful you get vise grips to the fingers!

 

[Fae]

We had the poor fella out today for a while, he shocked the hell outta me when he made a small jump and flapepd his wings "Oh my god, Arco flew!" though it was more like a half a foot flop. He did it a few times while he was out but it was very obvious he had a hard time with his wings. A lot of his primary flight feathers looks ragged and partially broken when he was fully stretched out. But, at least he tried, even if most of his time was walking around like a snapping turtle.

 

[Betrisher]

Yay Arco! That was a leap of faith! He's still in touch with his inner Bird! See if you can give him some opportunities to fly/hop from a higher perch to a lower one, say, about a foot apart. Or, from a low perch to the (soft) floor. You could put food or a treat or something as a lure. I've seen some people gradually stretch out the distance of a 'step up' so the bird has to jump and then eventually to 'fly' across to the outstretched hand. I reckon Arco has it in him! Good luck!

 

[Kalidasa]

^thats great! Don't worry about it, he'll be flying around sooner than you think. It happens on their own time.